Mold Issues in Homes

An Inside Look at the Mold Issues in Homes

Fungi include yeast, mold, mildew and mushrooms. Fungi grow over a wide range of environmental niches and are able to colonize on any surface, provided moisture is present over time. Spores are very lightweight and are easily dispersed in air.

Every home is subject to moisture problems, either due to leakage (flooding, pipes bursting, and overflows) or routine activities (showering, watering indoor plants, cooking). Molds are easily distributed indoors due to natural breezes, heating/ventilation and cooling systems, humidifiers and active movement.

Molds are known to cause a variety of health effects, including mild skin infections to severe allergic reactions to lung disease, cancer, organ failure, neurological disorders and death.

Table 1: Sources of Indoor Moisture

Problem Sources

Common Sources

Flooding

Steam from cooking

Backed-up sewers

Wet clothes or indoor drying lines

Toilet overflows

Appliance drip pans

Clogged drains

Appliances vented indoors – cloths dryer

Leaky roofs

Humidifiers

Mud or ice dams

Damp basement or crawl spaces

Leaking pipes

House plants or attached greenhouses

Outside water intrusion

Shower or bath steam and leaks

Clothes dryers vented indoors

Condensation on windows or walls

Firewood

High indoor humidity

Window condensate

Vaporizers

Limited ventilation

The most common indoor molds are Cladosporium, Penicillium, and Aspergillus. These are primarily associated with allergic reactions, headaches, itchy eyes, rashes and respiratory problems, but also known to produce mycotoxins, resulting in chemical toxigenic responses. Perhaps the most disconcerting indoor mold is Stachybotrys chararum, also known as S. atra. This mold, even in small doses, is associated with severe, often irreversible neurological conditions, lung disease and death.

The level of mold needed to make people sick varies with the individual. In general, if the mold is visible or odiferous, it should be eliminated.

Table 2: Symptoms Associated with Pathogenic Molds

Hay fever

Mood changes or irritability

Wheezing

Seizures

Coughing

Asthma

Sneezing

Difficulty in concentration

Earache

Memory loss

Sore throat

Headache

Shortness of breath

Kidney failure

Nausea

Rashes and dermatitis

Diarrhea

Fever

Chills

Others Suspected

Aches and pains

Infertility

Fatigue

Still birth

Tracheal bleeding

Hormonal imbalances

Nose bleed

Sudden infant death syndrome

Preventing a home from becoming moldy is far easier (and cheaper) than trying to eliminate a fungal colonization. The most important step for elimination of mold in buildings: